


Rest

by zarahjoyce



Category: Kamen Rider, Kamen Rider Wizard
Genre: Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-11
Updated: 2014-09-11
Packaged: 2018-02-16 23:24:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2288426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zarahjoyce/pseuds/zarahjoyce
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Koyomi. I’ll lay you to rest."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rest

“ _Koyomi!_ ”

Haruto sat on his bed, clawing at his skin, seemingly gasping for air. The images replayed themselves on his head and they felt so real; for a moment he thought he’d only needed to reach out and he’d be able to touch her _._ Comfort her. _Koyomi._

She was crying.

He drew the Hope Ring closer to his chest, drew comfort from its presence. Prayed that wherever she was, she was not as bothered as she appeared to be, in his dream. Cursed that he hadn’t the power to save her, this time.

_Koyomi._

_I’ll lay you to rest._

_-_

Days, weeks, months passed. Oddly enough - or perhaps, wisely enough - his journey brought him back to where it all began.

Haruto stood in front of the antique store, marveling silently. _Has it already been a year…?_

He strode in and froze a second later, as an unfamiliar girl quickly moved from her place behind the counter to intercept him with a wide, open smile. “Welcome!”

"Who are you?" he asked, fighting the urge to grab her arm and escort her outside.

"Oh, Haruto!" There was a surprised lilt to Wajima’s tone as he emerged from his working station. "You never said you’d be coming! How have you been? It’s so good to—"

"Old man," Haruto asked, moving quickly to stand in front of the shop owner. He pointed an accusing finger at the girl, who blinked owlishly back at him. " _Who is she?”_

"She’s Naru-chan. I hired her to help me around the shop a few months ago," Wajima replied, brows drawn together as he quietly studied the disturbed younger man. "Are you all right?"

"She can’t stay here." Haruto fought hard to keep his voice even, but it was hard; his anger was already clawing its way to the surface. _How dare he! “_ She has to go.”

Wajima regarded him warily. Then, “Naru-chan, why don’t you take a break?”

The girl gratefully bowed before making a hasty exit.

"What do you think you’re doing, old man?" Haruto made a beeline towards the counter, tried to see if this girl - _Naru_ \- touched anything that she shouldn’t have. After all, this was _her_ space - _Koyomi’s_ \- and no one had the right to disturb it—

"…Haruto," Wajima said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "it’s not—"

"Have you already forgotten?" Infuriated, Haruto whirled around to face the old man. _So this is why I dreamed of her crying._ "Did you already forget about—"

Wajima looked as though he’d been struck. Then he pursed his lips and said, “I’ll never forget about Koyomi-chan,” he said softly. Then his expression hardened, and he crossed his arms in front of him. “You, on the other hand, seemed to have forgotten that this is still _my_ home, and only I have the say who should stay or not. Naru-chan’s my employee, so she gets to stay.”

Haruto said nothing, merely balled his hands to fists. He looked away.

A few moments passed.

"Now," Wajima said, turning around to walk towards his working station again, "your room is as you’ve left it. You’re welcome to stay - if you _are_ staying.”

-

_Koyomi…. please, tell me what’s wrong, I’ll do anything—_

She didn’t stop crying.

-

Rinko, Shunpei and Kousuke quickly came over when they heard Haruto was back in the shop.

"I bought donuts!" Shunpei declared, proudly displaying the big bag he had in hand. He grinned at Haruto. "Six plain sugars, and six not-so-plain sugars - all for Haruto-san!"

"None for us?" Rinko asked.

"Don’t worry - you can always share with me, Rinko-chan!" With a flourish, Kousuke reached behind him - and pulled out four donuts on a plate.

Overwhelmingly drizzled with layers of mayonnaise on top.

Rinko recoiled in disgust.

Haruto smiled weakly at them. “Thanks,” he said, reaching for one of the donuts Shunpei laid on the table. He hadn’t the energy to keep up with their enthusiasm, and had no desire to pretend otherwise.

Rinko side-eyed him, but didn’t say anything.

Shunpei then emerged from the kitchen, brought four plates and four cups full of tea atop a tray. He handed each of them a plate and a cup, when Haruto noticed, “You’re missing one.”

"—eh?" Shunpei blinked.

Haruto finished chewing, then repeated, “You’re missing one set.”

Shunpei glanced at Rinko in confusion, who carefully said, “I thought Wajima-san isn’t in today…?”

Haruto paused, then laid down the half-eaten donut on his plate. “I wasn’t talking about the old man.”

Silence.

Then Haruto glanced at the empty spot by the counter, and they all understood.

Before, even if they all knew Koyomi didn’t eat - didn’t _need_ to eat - Haruto made certain that she was never ignored, which was why she was still allotted her own plate whenever she sat with them for dinner.

Now—

"It’s only been a _year,_ " Haruto said, pushing his plate away with unnecessary force; Kousuke caught it before it slid off to the ground completely. Haruto glanced at each of them and said, "Have you all forgotten?"

Silence.

Shunpei, clearly wanting to break the uneasy mood, straightened himself, laughed aloud and said, “I-It’s my fault, Haruto-san, I just— I mean, I’ll get a plate and—”

“ _No,_ " Haruto declared, standing up and shoving his hands in his pockets. He smiled thinly at them and said, "I’m done anyway. Thanks."

Then he walked away from them without another word.

-

_Haruto. Please. I—_

_I’m sorry, Koyomi. I promise you; even if they all forget you - I won’t. Not ever._

Koyomi shook her head and disappeared.

-

"Haruto-kun," Rinko said, finally cornering him a few days after that disastrous reunion. "Aren’t you getting tired?"

He didn’t say anything.

But he could see what her eyes did, as his disheveled appearance and the dark circles under his own betrayed him.

"You said you were going to find Koyomi-chan’s resting place," she continued. Rinko glanced at the Hope Ring on his finger, then looked away. "I’m sorry."

He laughed hollowly, rubbed the skin behind his neck. “Some magician I am, right? After all this time - I still can’t fulfill my promise to her.”

_I’m as useless as ever._

Rinko was quiet for a while. Then, “No,” she said. “I mean I’m sorry that you still haven’t figured it out yet.”

"—what are you talking about?"

She averted her eyes, focused intently at the floor beneath them. “You’re trying to find her resting place,” she said. “To give her peace.”

"I _know_ that,” he snapped. What was her point?

Here, Rinko looked at him. “What if Koyomi-chan could only rest once _you’re_ the one at peace?”

For several seconds, he could only gape at her. Then Haruto laughed again. “That’s absurd,” he said.

"Is it?" she challenged.

"How can I be at peace when I know Koyomi isn’t?"

"How do you even know that for sure?"

"Because you’re not the one haunted by her _every night!_ Why would you be, when you’ve forgotten all about her!”

Rinko blinked, mouth agape, and Haruto tried to control his breathing. It felt good - to lash out like this, because he was tired, so tired, and he needed them to see that Koyomi needed them all to remember her, because how could she rest if they didn’t and—

His cheek stung, and it took a second for him to realize that Rinko had slapped him.

"That’s the second time you’ve accused me of forgetting Koyomi-chan," she said, and her voice was shaking. "I’m only sorry I didn’t get to hit you the first time you did."

Haruto rubbed the stinging skin and glared at her.

Her gaze softened, and she closed her eyes for a bit. “I didn’t forget her,” she said. “I let her go, but I didn’t forget her. I never could. And neither would anyone who knew her. Haruto-kun - you’re not the only one who cared about her. _You_ seemed to have forgotten that.”

She swiped his hand - the one with the Hope Ring - covered it with her palm and continued, “Let her go. Let Koyomi-chan go so she can rest - and so you can find peace. You owe it to her - and to yourself, Haruto-kun.”

If only it was that easy.

…was it?

-

For the first time in a year, Haruto slid the Hope Ring off his finger, and laid it beside her crystal ball, which now rested in his own room at the shop.

His skin felt bare without the weight on it, but he fought the impulse to re-place the ring - just as he fought the impulse to feel he was betraying her memory, somehow.

And then he slept.

-

Koyomi was smiling through her tears. She reached for his hand and held it with both her own.

_Farewell._

-

Haruto was able to sleep through the night.


End file.
